


and the loves you had left

by diana_hawthorne (dhawthorne)



Series: Private Lives [26]
Category: Law & Order
Genre: Divorce, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-05
Updated: 2019-01-05
Packaged: 2019-10-05 01:38:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17315639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dhawthorne/pseuds/diana_hawthorne
Summary: In the midst of his divorce, Ben Stone returns to Paris.





	and the loves you had left

**Author's Note:**

> The title is from Anne Sexton's poem "Elizabeth Gone."

It’s quiet.

Well, not _quiet_ quiet. He can hear the sounds of the occasional car, the clatter of neighbors walking past his building. But in his apartment, all is quiet.

It’s the first time he’s been alone here in years and yet in every corner he sees his wife.

Ex-wife.

No, still wife, for a few more weeks at least.

She’s touched everything in this room. She bought the bed at le Marché aux Puces, the sheets and curtains at Printemps. She chose the wallpaper. Even the soap in the bathroom is her scent.

He expects her to walk around the corner at any moment, telling him that their daughter is asleep.

He sighs and turns over in bed.

It’s ironic that he’s spent the past seven years longing for quiet, because now his apartment is too quiet.

There’s a framed photo of them at the Musée Rodin on her nightstand. They look happy. Well, ten years ago when that picture was taken they were happy. Their relationship had just begun. She had come with him to Paris to help him pack up his things to move back to New York. They spent two wonderful weeks here, visiting museums, eating in restaurants, walking along the river. They were a perfect pair.

And then, Caroline.

Of course he loves his daughter, but life was easier when it was just the two of them. He was happy with his role as a grandfather. It was difficult to accept a new baby into their lives when he had already made it clear he was happy with the way things were. They should have been more careful.

He has no idea how he’ll cope when Caroline comes to visit on her own. Elizabeth had always been her primary caregiver, and they’d had a nanny--maybe his longtime housekeeper Renée will be able to help. He won’t be able to take care of her alone, not for a long visit.

He sighs. He should be asleep right now. The red-eye was exhausting and he’s been up for almost twenty-four hours. And it’s quiet.

It’s finally quiet.

He’s not sure he wants quiet any more.


End file.
